Coconut Oil: How will you use it?

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With the rise in technology and access to TV, it seems today’s generation has become more interested in health and nutrition. One of the biggest fads currently discussed in the nutrition world is coconut oil. Celebrities are advocating for the use of coconut oil in everything from food to beauty products. There are claims saying coconut oil can “protect from cancer, dissolve kidney stones, and make you lose excess body fat.” Aside from the claims, there is some basic information you should know about coconut oil to make an informed decision on if it’s right for you. Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat, meaning that it stays solid at room temperature and doesn’t go rancid (unpleasant odor) quickly. One thing that makes it easy to remember how saturated fats work is this phrase: “Solid at room temperature, solid in your arteries.” Since saturated fat makes up a large portion of coconut oil, where do the fat percentages compare to other common fats?

• Coconut oil- 92% saturated fat

• Butter- 63% saturated fat

• Beef fat- 50% saturated fat

• Olive oil- 15% saturated fat

Now that we’ve talked about some information on the nutritional value and content of coconut oil, the main uses for it that we are going to cover are using it as a sunscreen, as part of your beauty regimen, in the prevention/treatment of Alzheimer’s, how it relates to weight loss and cardiovascular health, how it can benefit parenteral nutrition, and the most common use as a fat replacement.

While most Americans may have felt very comfortable using synthetic chemicals on their skin for sunscreen in the past, it is more common today to seek out “natural” sunscreen remedies. Some promote the use of coconut oil as a natural sunscreen, and you will even find coconut utilized in many commercial sunscreens. And why wouldn’t it make sense? Doesn’t the term coconut bring up images of lounging around a pool or the beach and enjoying a drink, potentially IN a coconut glass? This harmonious relationship is actually best for serving drinks, as research shows coconut oil is a poor natural sunscreen. When compared to FDA approved UV absorbers, organic oils like coconut were at least two orders of magnitude lower when blocking UV light. Researchers found that natural oils were insufficient to get an appropriate, significant UV protection.  Better stick to the FDA approved, commercial sunscreens this summer if you hope to prevent sunburns and skin damage.

Coconut Oil. It is not something that would usually come to mind when getting ready for work in the mornings or getting ready for bed at night. However, coconut oil has recently become "all the rage" for uses outside of the kitchen. Coconut oil may be the perfect product for every woman to add to their must have beauty products.

Here are 10 ways that coconut oil can be used that you may not have thought of:

1) Dry hands: Tired of using lotion over and over again? Rub a little bit of coconut oil on your dry hands and they will feel smooth again.

2) Cheekbone highlighter: Who would have thought that? Swipe a little bit on your cheekbones, over your makeup, and get the highlight you love for cheap!

3) To shave your legs: Because shaving cream is over-rated. Why not use coconut oil? It is cheap and gives your legs a shiny, but not greasy look.

4) As a deep conditioner: Dry hair is not fun for any woman to deal with. Throw a dollop of coconut oil in your hair, comb through, and then rinse with shampoo! Good as new!

5) As eye makeup remover: I mean really? Who discovers this stuff! Dab some coconut oil on your cotton swab and then bam! Eye makeup quickly comes off!

6) Body moisturizer: Super cheap and perfect fix to dry skin! Apply as you would lotion.

7) To clean your face: Many women swear by this for a nighttime moisturizer. Rub all over your face and then rinse with your favorite cleanser.

8) Too add shine: Needing to have your hair a little shinier? Dab a little on your ends for a little shine, but not too much in order to avoid the "looking greasy" look.

9) In a body scrub: Needing a solution for a homemade and cheap body scrub? melti 1/2 cup of coconut oil on a very low heat, pour it over 1 cup or brown sugar and stir together. Perfect body scrub.

10) For a little rub down: Just use coconut oil on your body just as you would any other body rub!

So ladies, forget Ulta and Sephora for those high-end beauty products. Buy a bottle of coconut oil and keep it handy. It seems to be the solution for every beauty need.

Coconut oil has many claims that it can cure, reverse, treat or prevent many different things, but did you know one of these claims is that it can be used as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease? To understand the theory behind this claim, it is important to know part of the theory behind Alzheimer’s. This theory states that neurons in the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient are unable to utilize glucose for fuel and as a result, starve. So the question now is, why do people think coconut oil may be a solution to this problem? The main idea comes from children with epilepsy who have had success treating their symptoms with a ketogenic diet. In this diet, high intake of fats and strict limits on carbohydrates force the body to use fat as a fuel source, which theoretically in Alzheimer’s patients would solve the issue of glucose utilization in the brain. Coconut oil is used in these types of diets to allow a slightly higher level of carbohydrate intake, which makes this very strict diet easier to follow. The downsides to this treatment are its links to high cholesterol levels, and the general strictness of the diet. Note: there is not enough experimental evidence to back up these claims, but currently trials are being conducted in the US to provide some evidence as to if coconut oil and the ketogenic diet are effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease.

There have been many benefits associated with the inclusion of coconut oil in the diet. Weight loss and heart health are both amongst those proposed benefits. Coconut oil captured the attention of researchers as a solution to weight loss because of the vast amount of medium-chain fatty acids found in the tropical oil. Medium-chain fatty acids are not believed to be stored in fat tissue and are quickly metabolized by the body and used as energy. While a few studies have proven coconut oil may decrease waist circumference, no real evidence exist to uphold the claim that coconut oil promotes significant weight loss. Some have also theorized that coconut oil promotes cardiovascular health because of the absence of trans fat. While this may seem advantageous to someone keeping a watchful eye on their cholesterol, a lack of trans fat does not automatically qualify coconut oil as a favorable substitution. Saturated fat is found in large amounts in coconut oil. It may be able to hide behind the bad rep held by trans fat, but saturated fat cannot escape from the fact that it too raises blood cholesterol levels. Cholesterol’s nemesis, LDL, is elevated by the presence of saturated fat. While research has shown coconut oil and other medium-chain fatty acids do not raise low-density lipoprotein (LDL) as much as long-chain fatty acids because it contains lauric acid, it has not yet been proven that coconut oil promotes heart health.

As we’ve mentioned, coconut oil is composed of saturated fat – about 86-92%. Some of this fat is in the form of medium chain triglycerides, more specifically lauric acid and myristic acid. MCTs can be highly beneficial for the body if a person has chronic pancreatitis, requires total parenteral nutrition or has had occurrences of steattorhea due to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. However, this MCT oil isn’t used from the jar of coconut oil bought at Kroger. The coconut oil must be fractionated and esterified (big words for cut apart and separated) in order to be beneficial for these patients.

Pancreatitis usually is solved by gut rest, which allows the pancreas de-inflame. Sometimes, this method takes longer than expected and enteral nutrition must be initiated. Using a peptide based, MCT oil formula and feeding lower into the intestines, ideally past the Ligament of Treitz, can avoid pancreatic stimulation and allow for inflammation to resolve.

Coconut oil can be a substitute for a variety of foods including butter, olive oil, canola oil, and other shortenings. How is this possible? Let’s look at the properties of coconut oil first. Because coconut oil is a saturated fat, it is solid at room temperature. It is due to this property that coconut oil is able to be substituted for butter or solid fats. In liquid form, coconut oil is used to replace a variety of other fats.

The most commonly seen form of coconut oil in cooking, is replacing butter in a recipe with coconut oil. Most recipes will give you an amount to substitute for. However, if it does not, just remember that coconut oil can be used in a 1:1 ratio with butter. This means, that if a recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of butter, you can replace it with 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil.

One important note about coconut oil is to beware of the taste and texture of your baked product. Depending on the baked good, the use of coconut oil can easily alter the flavor of the product. Also, it has been documented that coconut oil changes the texture of pastries, such as pie crusts. After reading through the many other uses of coconut oil, the decision now lies in your lap. How will coconut oil impact your life? What will you use it for? Feel free to share how you have previously or plan to use it!

Resources:

Fessler, T.A., (2010). Nutrition Support in Severe Acute Pancreatitis. Today’s Dietitian. Retrieved from: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/011110p36.shtml.

Zeratsky, K. (2015). Can coconut oil help me lose weight? The Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/expert-answers/coconut-oil-and- weight-loss/faq-20058081

Science behind the headlines: How to reduce your risk and other popular topics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 11, 2016, from https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?pageNumber=4

O'Connor, S. (2014). 10 Amazing Beauty Tricks with Coconut Oil. Retrieved from: www.prevention.com/beauty/coconut-oil-cures-for-your-hair-and-skin

(2016). Substitute coconut oil for butter. Retrieved from: http://www.md-health.com/Substitute-Coconut-Oil-For-Butter.html

Gause, S., & Chauhan, A. (2016). UV blocking potential of oils and juices. International Journal of Cosmetic Science. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/ics.12296.
Schardt, D. (2012, June). Coconut Oil. Retrieved February 9, 2016, from http://www.cspinet.org/nah/articles/coconut-oil.html